Danny Lu

Germinal centers can persist for up to one year with declining somatic hypermutation and ongoing plasma cell output

This study tracks germinal center responses in rhesus macaques over a year, showing prolonged GCs with declining SHM and ongoing plasma cell production.

Deep learning-enabled scaffolding of spatial arrays of PfCSP epitopes

This study uses deep learning to design multi-epitope scaffolds mimicking CSP's spatial structure, showing accurate positioning of two epitopes and partial success with the third.

Antibody feedback establishes an affinity brake in the germinal center

The paper investigates how B cell affinity affects germinal center (GC) responses by showing high-affinity B cells have shorter GC residence times and lower-affinity B cells are maintained, suggesting an antibody feedback mechanism that modulates affinity and epitope spreading.

Structural insights into VRC01-class bnAb precursors with diverse light chains elicited in the IAVI G001 human vaccine trial

This paper reports structural analysis of VRC01-class bnAb precursors from a vaccine trial, showing they bind HIV Env with germline-like features and glycan adaptability.

Vaccination with mRNA-encoded membrane-bound HIV Envelope trimer induces neutralizing antibodies in animal models

Membrane-bound BG505 MD39.3 Env trimer delivered as mRNA-LNP reduced base-directed antibody responses in rabbits and macaques and elicited neutralizing antibodies, with memory B cell responses documented in macaques.

Virus glycoprotein nanodisc platform for vaccine design

The paper presents a nanodisc platform for assembling transmembrane glycoproteins into vaccine candidates, demonstrating its utility in HIV vaccine development through structural and functional analyses.

Diverse priming outcomes under conditions of very rare precursor B cells

The paper investigates how vaccine antigen delivery and adjuvant selection affect the priming of rare HIV broadly neutralizing antibody-precursor B cells in non-human primates, finding that specific dosing and adjuvant combinations enhance their detection in germinal centers.